Whole New Ball Game
by drufan
Summary: Tag for Finale. There is always more to the story and we all know Darkseid would want one last word.


**A/N: **Characters are not mine.

Summary: Tag for Finale. There's always more to the story and we all know Darkseid wouldn't leave without having one last word.

**Whole New Ballgame**

The first day after anything life changing was usually the day where life got real. This day was no different. There was so much to do for work and in her personal life that she hardly had time to breathe. Both intersected at the Daily Planet.

Lois sat at her desk, typing her interview with the President. It was a coup for her. What a way to start off the day and to boost her career, to boot.

The whole newsroom bustled and buzzed still in an uproar over the flying version of the Blur. Lois smiled inwardly. She and Clark already had a plan of action.

for his big coming of age day. They just had not thought it would be such a big save. He thought that it would be something like a fire or act of God. Air Force One would have been enough. They had not counted on him having to serve notice on an entire planet.

Her inward smile grew. Clark never did anything half-assed. "Entire planet, Smallville. Let's see that loon in Gotham beat that," Lois whispered to her computer.

Brady shouted at everyone in the room. "We've got photos! We've got the accounts of the man on the street! We've even got the President!" Her editor paused for a second and pointed at Lois. "Thanks, Lane!"

"No problem, Boss!" She gave a half-hearted wave as she misspelled "thunderous".

"What we don't have is the Man of the Hour- the Blur!"

The inward smile turned outward. She would get that covered too. She would have a long sit down with Clark tonight and figure out the amount and type of information to be released.

"Working on it," she yelled out.

"Really, Lane," Brady yelled. "And how's that?"

Lois stopped typing and stared her editor in the eye. "A girl can't give away all her secrets." Even if her life was on temporary hold because of those secrets.

"Get me the Blur, people!"

"Get right on that, Boss," Lois whispered confidently to herself.

SVSVSVSV

Lois stepped out of the elevator and stood at the banister overlooking the basement bullpen. The man of the hour sat typing and listening to his desk partner, Cat. Lois could see the mouth on the perky blond moving a mile a minute. Clark nodded politely while not losing a keystroke.

It amazed her that he could change gears like that: world hero one moment and working stiff the next. He was a truly gifted individual. More over, he was all hers.

Lois could not stop smiling today. Clark had stepped out of the shadows, no longer hiding. He was fully in his mild-mannered mode. The Blur was about to become first page news for the foreseeable future. She would land the interview because that way they could control the information. It did not even twinge at her conscience that they were pulling a fast one because the both of them were playing a whole new game.

_It's all peanuts and Cracker Jacks, Smallville,_ she thought.

Lois descended the stairs. She could see over his shoulder and the headline on his piece:

TESS MERCER MISSING

Lois' smile dropped. She had almost forgotten the dangers were not over with yet. Lex Luthor was back and he knew secrets as well. Clark was waiting for the next shoe to drop. Also, he thought that Tess was dead.

The night before, when all was said and done, she and Clark had stood on the front porch of the farm and hugged. "I can't find her," he explained. "After all of this, I think we might've lost one of the team."

"Ollie will keep searching." Lois held him tighter. "We'll find her." She and Tess might have had a tenuous relationship at best, but she was a trusted member of the team. She was Watchtower.

She looked at his broad shoulders and decided to get him in the game. "Kent!" Lois yelled out across the basement.

He jumped and dropped a pencil on the floor. Lois appreciated the act since he had probably heard her in the elevator before she even stepped one toe in the basement. His alter ego was more necessary now than ever.

"Brady is on a rampage about yesterday. We need the man on the street pieces in, now!" She truly loved this part: bossing around the Man of Steel.

"Yes, Ms. Lane!" he answered.

She could hear it, though, the underscored amusement in his tone. The pieces were from what he could eavesdrop or ascertain while he was putting the world right again. Another planet in orbit tended to set things askew like tidal waves, earthquakes, and general hysteria. Not only had Clark stepped into the light, he had gone global. To be honest, their time on the Kent porch had been more early in the morning rather than late at night.

"Cat we need the lists of injured and casualties!"

Lois saw his shoulders hunch. It was the price of saving the many over the few. Tess would be counted among them. Lois laid a hand on his shoulder. She felt the tension coiling underneath release just a little.

"I'm on it. And let Mr. Brady know that I'm also not going to rest until we make sure the Blur knows how my fan base has changed to his side of things. I'll have them scouring the city for any sign of him. I think a piece on those that were on the other side of the vigilante issue could be an interesting twist. This could be my finest hour." Cat gave Lois a self-satisfied smile.

Lois just nodded her head. "You do that."

"Any other articles need to be in within the hour!" she yelled at the others.

Lois sat on the corner of Clark's desk. "I think since our wedding was interrupted by the Apocalypse that we deserve at least lunch today. I have a feeling it's going to be a late night."

He looked up at her and smiled. "I think you're right."

"Walk me back up to the elevators?" she coyly asked.

"Sure," he teasingly answered.

He adjusted his glasses and stood up. He kept the shoulders hunched and walked slightly pigeon toed. They ascended the stairs and she hung onto his arm. The marriage wasn't off, just on hiatus. The farm sale had been pushed back until all infrastructures were put back in place. Things were still higgledy-piggledy, but time was now something everyone had.

She took in a big breath of newsroom air and exhaled.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered and bumped his shoulder. "Perfect. See you at lunch."

"It's a date," he whispered in her ear. His breath tickled the side of her neck and she shivered.

She gave him a sideways glance and her most seductive smile. "Don't be late."

With that, she stepped into the elevator with two others and turned around to wave. She saw the back of his head. He had already turned around and was looking back down at the bullpen.

"Hey, Kent! Package for you!"

The doors started to close and Clark had already disappeared from her sight. Lois blinked. A fireball started to blossom from below her. She blinked again. The doors shut completely and she hit the door with the flat of her palm.

"Clark!" she screamed as a muffled boom shook the car and knocked her and the other two passengers off their feet.

Lois blinked once more as the car rocked and dropped lower in the shaft. The other two passengers, one a man and one a woman, screamed as they felt the brakes slip. The car only shifted about two feet.

"Basement," Lois whispered in relief. "We're in the basement," she explained to the other two.

They all smiled wildly at one another.

"We're alive," the man said as he stood up. "Was that a bomb?"

"Let's find out," Lois said as she stood up.

"First yesterday and now this," whimpered the woman. "What have I done that is so wrong?"

Lois ignored her. "Come on, let's get this door open."

The fact that Clark hadn't even called to her or opened the doors worried her more than just about anything. She heard yelling, alarms, and dripping water. Chaos, she heard chaos.

Lois looked down at the frightened woman. "What's your name?"

"M-mindy."

"Okay, Mindy, you're going to help me." She looked over at the man.

"Stan," he offered.

"Stan, you're on the other side." They positioned their fingers in the cracks of the door and pulled. It shimmied, but did not give. They tried again and the door came free. Smoke poured into the car and water dripped down at them. Helping one another, they climbed out and into the chaos.

People stumbled and fumbled by them as a fine layer of smoke curled around their heads. Desks were overturned. Papers settled. Emergency lights flashed, casting a pallid, yellow sheen on everything. The sprinklers rained water down on them. The smell of blood and bile reached her nose. Lois covered her mouth and nose with her hand.

Clark had not stopped it. Why? Then she really looked and saw the green mixed in with the yellow light and haze. Chunks were embedded in the walls, ceiling and floors.

Yesterday, certain death hung in the skies, but he flew in and saved the day. Today, trouble found him when they were riding the good vibrations wave. Apparently, disaster did not like to take a day off. Metropolis never took a day off.

"Oh no," she sobbed. "Somebody knows." Her brain kicked into gear one step behind since there was one bald and egocentric answer to that question. There was also a caged toy bomber who also knew.

Lois scrambled down the stairs, over mangled file cabinets and busted monitors, to the bullpen. The mail cart was crumpled and split apart. Clark and Cat's desks were pushed against the other desks stacked haphazardly. She saw movement underneath one. Blonde, singed hair poked out. Cat's face had a myriad of cuts and a nice gash on her left arm.

"Take it easy, Cat." Lois helped her out of the Jenga set.

"Lois? I can't hear you!" she yelled. "What happened?"

"Bomb!" shouted Lois.

Cat still looked confused. "What?"

Lois pointed at the mail cart and made hand gestures to simulate a bomb going off.

"Looks like a bomb!" Cat appeared to finally grasp the concept.

"Yeah!" she said as she exaggerated her nod.

Lois looked at the blown out glass partitions and doors that separated the different parts of the basement. Beyond one of the obliterated windows and at the side of the stairs, she saw him. She saw her whole future lying against the cracked paneling.

By luck, he faced the wall. His glasses were nowhere to be seen. She handed Cat off to a co-worker and made her way to Clark.

"Smallville?" she murmured, hoping he would sit up and shake off the blast. The knowledge that that was not going to happen settled on her as completely as the green covering everything in the room. She knelt down and placed her hands on his back.

"You would've been running at it." She steeled herself and rolled him on his side. "Oh, Clark."

Blood soaked the front of his shirt and small, bullet-like holes riddled his clothes.

"I need to call Emil," she said trying to put her panic into order. "Call Ollie, give him a heads up-"

Another boom sounded in the room. It was loud, but more subdued than the bomb. It made her flinch and she threw herself over Clark.

Light shimmered on the ruined paneling. The air changed and the smoke swirled along with the loose papers. Cries of surprise rose from throats all around her. Then a menacing voice echoed into the room.

"It seems I am unlucky. I was hoping to catch the superhero when he swooped in to save the day so we could have some more face time."

Lois slowly turned, keeping herself between Clark and whatever was behind her. For the first time, she came face to face with the smoldering, red-eyed nightmare that was Darkseid. He scowled at her.

"You little mortals think you have won. You think that this is over. Your hero showed you the light so you're safe. That is far from the truth. What you don't understand is that I have all the time in the Universe."

To Lois and probably Darkseid's surprise, a three-hole punch sailed across the room and bounced off of the craggy features of the demigod. The red eyes blinked and his head slowly turned towards the offender. Lois looked too and saw Stan wide-eyed and frightened standing at the base of the stairs.

"Get away from them," he ordered. Lois could see the absolute terror and amazement on his face. Without taking his eyes off of Darkseid, Stan bent down and picked up a stapler.

Ignoring the puny human chucking office supplies, Darkseid leaned over. "He won't have you forever. At some point, he will be alone. This was only our first battle. The war is far from over."

Lois stayed were she sat, feebly protecting Earth's best chance. Clark never moved. Darkseid looked at the lump of Kryptonian. Then he looked around the room and so did Lois. Everyone else in the room had eyes on them. They stood at the ready. They all looked ready to throw Office Depot merchandise at him.

"Your love has saved him this day. From me at least. But tell him, I can reach him at anytime."

Lois thought that his face might have actually cracked when he gave his version of a smile. He stepped back through the swirling light, leaving the room in its former state of shambles. Lois wondered how much made sense to anyone but her. Hopefully, shock had claimed some of their right minds.

Stan ran over. "Are you okay?"

"No." But she smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Yesterday, I saw a man fly and push a planet. It makes you think, who knows what I could do?" Stan's belief in himself could not have come at a better time. "Apparently, threatening rejects from Wormhole Extreme is one."

Inspiration. Clark wanted to inspire. He had accomplished that mission. Now Lois had her own mission.

Lois fumbled with her phone. "Emil, it's Clark. You've seen the news? We have a big problem, the bomb was… dirty." She held on to Clark as paramedics came crawling into the basement with police and firemen.

Emil would be waiting for them in the E.R. Things would be put right. Clark would be just fine.

John met them at the ambulance. He grasped her arm. "I'll make sure everything is clean."

Lois put her other hand on his and smiled in thanks. She climbed into the back of the bus and sat on the bench. The paramedic checked vitals and the fluids. Clark was hidden under blankets so nobody could have seen his face on the way up the stairs.

Emil met them in the emergency room and whisked Clark off to a private room. "We have everything ready. I have one nurse that I can trust and if not, then we'll deal with that later. Just know, when he comes out, he will be right as rain."

Lois stood in the hallway and watched a second door shut on her.

SVSVSVSVSV

The rain pattered against the apartment's window. It actually calmed her. Lois leaned against her future as he rested on the couch.

"Lead casing with a Kryptonite core. You wouldn't have known it was there until it blew," relayed John. "You heard it arming didn't you?"

"Yeah," Clark answered. "I was thinking nobody even needs to know. I'll get it out of the building, but…"

"It blew up before you knew it." John shook his head. "A parting gift from Apokolips."

"I'm glad they've moved back to where ever they came from." Clark scowled at nothing in particular.

Lois knew that look. He was second guessing his actions. Maybe he should have done more; maybe he should have done something else. The first time Lois met Clark in all of his naked glory, he was on a mission. Clark always had a mission.

All of this negativity needed a little hope.

"Emil called," Lois said as she sat next to the convalescing Clark. "Lex has total amnesia. A gift from Summerholt…I can only think of one person who would have delivered that present.'

"Tess." Clark frowned. "She's dead then. I can't hear her, anywhere."

Lois grabbed his face. "Then make it count."

He smiled sadly and nodded his head. "Everyday."

"You should be able to get back to work next week. All of the debris should be removed by then. Oliver has his construction team working round the clock." John stood up and walked to the door. "I'll personally check- to make sure."

"Thanks." Clark squeezed her hand.

John left them sitting on the couch. Clark looked at her. "I might have been completely out of it, but that took courage to stand up to Darkseid. You are a very remarkable woman, Miss Lane."

Inspiration. This was a whole new day in Metropolis, no, the world and, now, they could look up in the sky and be amazed.

"And you…oh, forget it!" She attacked and they fell back onto the couch lip-locked and intertwined.

SVSVSVSV

The interview with the President was a gateway to the next step in her career. Once again, Harry Carey warbled in her head because she was in the biggest ball game of her life. It almost drowned out Brady, who was screaming at the room with a twinkle in his eye. "Under our nose, people! We get to write our story!"

He quieted the room. "Now, for introductions. This is Perry White; he'll be taking over once I head to Gotham. Everything goes to him!"

Perry shook Lois' hand. "Did you ever find what you were looking for, Lane?"

"Yes."

He smiled in answer.

"Tell Kent to hurry up and get better so he can write up his side of the story." Perry glad-handed a few more people and disappeared into the office with Brady.

Clark was at the apartment "recuperating" or saving the world, again. One could never know. Lex having amnesia was a weight taken off his shoulders. Who knew what was next? A world trying to occupy the same space as Earth may be a small problem compared to whatever else was out there.

Now, that Clark was out with his face splashed on the papers worldwide, other heroes were trying to make contact. Life was very busy. Life was exciting. Life was...

"Hey, Boss!" Lois said as she burst into her editor's office. She gave her innocent smile as he scowled at her interruption. "We've got to change the Blur's moniker. It's not cutting it anymore."

"Have you landed that interview, yet?" Brady said instead.

She smirked and replied, "Working on it."

"So what's your idea," Perry asked as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Brady.

Lois let her smile widen, "I'm thinking we've seen Nietzsche's ideal come to life. I'm thinking he's just like a..."

"God among men?" Brady proposed.

Lois paused contemplating and then disregarding. "No, I'm thinking he's a little more human."

Brady and Perry gave her their undivided attention.

It was time for the Blur to make his final bow. Lois held back her grin because Clark was going to roll his eyes and balk. He'd get over it. "Maybe something fantastical yet understated. Something a little more- super."

She let the beat tick and then, with a knowing smirk and absolute confidence, Lois Lane, soon to be star reporter of the Daily Planet, named her man.

The End of the Beginning


End file.
